FC Juarez head coach and technical director Ricardo “Tuca” Ferreti was outspoken about the current state of U.S. Soccer in his weekly press conference yesterday from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
Tuca has always been characterized by his practical, no-nonsense attitude, and when asked to compare the current state of the two titans of Concacaf soccer in the United States and Mexico, he was exactly that.
Ferretti, who himself has had multiple successful stints as interim head coach for the Mexican national team, began by alluding to the number of players currently in Europe from the MLS compared to those from Mexican soccer.
“Of course the gap between the two has narrowed. Soccer in the United States is very competitive — so much so that, if I remember correctly, there are more players from the United States playing in Europe than there are from Mexico. This alone speaks very well of the work that has been done over all these years. It is not the same as in the past.”
“Naturally, with these two most recent defeats over the summer [the U.S. defeating Mexico in the finals of the Nations Cup and Gold Cup], Mexico fans and the Mexican media say a lot of negative things. Still, if you sit back, think and analyze the way things are, you will come to realize that the United States has made impressive progress and I feel that the distance between the two, if you force yourself to find a difference, it’s minimal.”
The Bravos boss then went on to give a reminder that there needs to be a balance across the board for Mexican soccer from directors, players, fans and media, or else nothing will change, the results will be the same and “El Tri” will never reach the next level of the game.
"The pressure the players and 'Tata' Martino (Mexico’s head coach) feel is normal," he said. "A lot of balance is needed in the Mexican soccer world and in the Mexican media. Two or three months ago, what were people saying, speaking only positives about 'Tata' and his work. People were ready to erect statues in his honor. Now, after losing two finals this summer, we want him hung, let’s tie him to the train tracks, off with his head. It's always been like this, and I feel while we continue this way the results (against the U.S.) will be harder to come by.”
